Bring everything everywhere.

Have you ever left your wallet behind when you’ve gone out shopping? Or the frisbee when you head to the park? Why in the world would you leave any tools behind when you go to work?

In my time as a shooter, editor, DIT and AC, I’ve accumulated a whole bunch of stuff. When I step out of my truck, I’ve got a small tape roll with a few common kinds of tape (black 2″ gaff and paper, white 1″ gaff, and one to mark shot rolls), a pouch with a thousand things in it, from c47s to lens tissue to BNC connectors and bongo ties, and that’s just the beginning. I also carry a backpack with #1s and #2s, cube taps, a couple stingers, gloves, munchies, a clipboard, and space for tapes, batteries, and more. Then I have a large toolbag full of grip gear and miscellaneous other gear. I’ve got a thousand other bits and pieces that are stuck away in one place or another… Or some things more. As an AC, I never need to bring my audio gear or gels… But on several occasions I’ve been super glad that I had some scraps of a few colors, and moleskin or 9V batts for the audio guys.

So many times I hear from other people that “Well, I’ve got a (insert what we need here) at home… But what good does that do us? Sure, I haul a lot all over, and decide what to leave in the truck some days or just how much to carry for a run-and-gun ENG day, but if I’ve got it, I try to have it along, and it all comes in handy when it’s along with me way more often than it would if it were at home. And while I like making money at this, as do all of us, I love working in film and TV. That love is at more important than the couple of bucks i spend on the gear that I bring along.